An Inconvenient Attachment
by AuroraBorealis99
Summary: Human tornado, Evie Graham, leads a life of unadulterated misery and boredom. Human disaster, Steve Rogers, is alone in the new world and does not have a habit of letting things be. Relationships can be built on anything, and can be destroyed by everything. There is much to know about Evelyn Graham, and the truth has a way of unraveling itself.
1. Chapter 1

It didn't take long for her to notice him. Among scattered tables and scorched metal seating, there he was. He wore a brown leather jacket even though the sun was harsh above them. Perhaps he felt the cold. It was past midday and the temperature, while remaining high, was beginning to descend. No, she thought. Even in jean shorts the heat was oppressive. Perhaps he was the type who didn't want to be seen, wanted to cover up. From what she could tell he was broad, impressive in stature even while sitting. Yes, a wallflower. An easy deduction given he was seated far enough away from people so that he wouldn't be dragged into polite but pointless conversation but close enough still so that he could let the background music of coffee cups clinking on saucers and gossip between friends envelop him like a soft embrace. As sad as it seemed, loneliness emanated from him. His decision to sit solo despite the popular choice of those around him being to grab a chair here and there, strangers or not, spoke volumes. Still, her coffee was getting cold. A quick scan of the outdoor seating area proved her suspicions. No other seats apart from on Mr. Wallflower's table. The sun was just dipping behind some of the glass giants in Manhattan, providing a touch of shade here and there. Hmm. To sit or not to sit. Screw it. He was practically asking for a friend and the fact that his table was one of very few in the shade may or may not have swayed her decision. With a slight hesitation in her step, she approached.

"Excuse me, sir. You look caught up with what you have there and I'm not looking to bother you, but would you mind if I sat here with you? There aren't any other seats and if I don't drink this coffee in the next 5 minutes, I think I may pass out. No forced conversation I promise."

My god, what a ramble. Was it too late to turn around and sprint in the other direction? He peered up from his notebook, confusion across his features. Hot relief flooded her when his confusion melted into a pleasant smile. He was a classic looker. Cut jawline, clean-shaven, hair swept over just so. She suddenly felt like she had it all wrong. Well, partly. This man, while giving off an air of delicateness and sincerity, strangely also presented a very stern demeanor. Perhaps that was the reason he was sitting alone. It wasn't out of his choice, but by the choice of those around him. Again, that sad feeling filled her. While still smiling lightly at her, he gestured to the seat across from himself.

"Of course, Ma'am. Be my guest" His deep baritone was a welcome surprise.

With a flush she would insist was from the temperature, she lowered herself onto the cooling metal of the chair he was gesturing to. He looked her over for a moment. She grimaced. Waiting in line for a coffee in a hole-in-the-wall shop during one of New York's warmest summers was going to make anyone look a little frazzled. Well perhaps anyone but him. She attempted to smooth back her hair with one hand while adjusting her shirt with the other. A disastrous move. Half a lukewarm coffee splashed across the table, wetting the front of her shirt and the edges of his book. Jesus H Christ.

"Oh, my goodness, I am so sorry. Oh god. This is just not my day. My cat did his business in my bed this morning and then I missed the subway to meet a friend and she met up with some other friend of hers because I took too long and all I wanted was a dang coffee and then there wasn't any tables left and I didn't want to disturb you and now that's exactly what I'm doing and I've got this all over your stuff I can't believe this, I'm _so_ sorry.." She rambled on and on, not really knowing when to stop her mouth from running.

She was frantically wiping the table with some napkins he had lying near his hand. The front of her shirt was stuck to her, thank heavens it wasn't white. The man cleared his throat, a laugh almost escaping. He moved his hands to cover her own.

"Uh Ma'am, Ma'am…it's alright you haven't done any harm. I'd be more worried about your shirt than some old notebook." With wide, rather comical eyes, she glanced down at her shirt. Dark brown covered the front of her tank top. Definitely too late to sprint in the other direction. This time she flushed a rather inexcusable crimson. He chuckled audibly.

"Here", he spoke, "let me help you." He reached into the pocket of his jacket, pulled out a plain blue handkerchief, leant across the table and placed it in her palm. "This might help save it. A tad softer than those napkins."

"Thank you so much. Honestly, I'm such a tornado. My Grandma always used to say that disaster follows me like a moth follows the light."

She cast her eyes down to her top once she surrendered that little snippet of an anecdote. Instead of looking him in the eyes, she focused on dabbing her shirt clean. He laughed again at that. A nice, rich laugh that showed his straight teeth. Seriously, Mr. Perfect or what?

"Nothing wrong with being a tornado, a little mess is fun sometimes." He replied, making sure to keep looking at her, despite the fact she was averting her gaze. She let a little relieved sigh out.

He wasn't angry. She let her eyes flick up to his chin first, then his nose, finally arriving at his eyes. Hot damn. Mr. Perfect had _lovely_ eyes. Blue and blue and did she mention blue? They were very blue. Seriously, is that all she could come up with?

"Tell that to my wardrobe, all my clothes seem to either have coffee or paint on them in some fashion. No item of clothing is safe from me." She decided she'd try the friendly approach instead of intensely staring at his face. He smiled again, folding his hands on top of the table and peering into her face.

"I hear that. Paint. Once its on something you're never getting it out. You're an artist?" He spoke with such a warmth and seemed like he genuinely wanted to have a conversation with her. Something she was grateful for, all things considered.

"I wish. I'm somewhat of a 'throw it on a canvas and hope for the best' kind of gal. Turns out I'm pretty okay at making a presentable mess of art. I think it helps me channel my inner chaos." The coffee stain was just that. A stain. She gave up on the dabbing and laid the handkerchief on the table between them. He unfolded his hands and gently picked up the sodden cloth. He began to play with the edge of it.

"That sounds like a very cathartic way to paint. I've always been more of a sketcher, but I dabble from time to time. Its nice to breach out of your comfort zone every now and then, try new things." Maybe she was going crazy. Maybe. They shared a look. Maybe he was talking about painting. But, then again, they both seemed to be far away from what could be considered a 'comfort zone' just by talking to one another. She hoped he was referring to her choice of seating.

"You're right. I sometimes find detailed work a little too, uh, detailed?" a breathy, awkward laugh escaped her, "I don't know, it's much more fun to let the universe decide what that canvas will end up like. That way, if its bad, its not my fault." He leant back in his chair and let a broad laugh escape him. He appeared to be relaxing and loosening up a bit more. At least he didn't seem to mind her sporadic conversation, despite the promise of leaving him be at the start of their encounter.

"I see.." he was smiling, wider than before, "Maybe I should give that a try. By the way, I'm Steve." A large hand was extended across the now dry metal table and she grasped it, shaking firmly.

"Evelyn, friends call me Eve or Evie. It's nice to meet you, Steve. Again, I'm so sorry about your notebook. I hope it wasn't too important?" By the end of her sentence she was wincing. Even though he seemed unbothered by the damage inflicted upon his little book, guilt still rolled through her. He simply shrugged.

"It's nothing that can't be replaced. Honestly, its just nice to have a pleasant conversation with someone. Even if it comes at the expense of my precious notebook." A teasing tone laced his words. Hmm. So that's how he wanted to play it. She didn't grow up with 3 brothers without learning how to bite back once in a while.

"Well, I'm glad you're cool about it. I don't think I have nearly enough money to replace such a priceless relic.." She flashed a goading grin his way. An eyebrow raise and a smirk was the reply she received. Goosebumps flared along her bare arms. God, she was behaving like such a floozy. Getting all giggly and flushed as soon as a handsome man gives her the time of day. Oh, if her Grandma could see her now.

Evie's stomach sank when she realized that she couldn't stay and chat longer. She had to get to the store and get home, Possum (the slightly overweight, old Scottish Fold) needed his meds and was a demanding little devil if he wasn't fed at 5:30pm sharp. With a sad sigh and a weak smile, she raised her head to look Steve in the eye.

"Steve…I have to go, I'm sorry. It's my cat. He's old and I have to get his meds and dinner to him in the next 30 minutes or he'll meow my ear off all night. It's been a pleasure talking with you, really." He sat up in his chair and smiled softly at her. A reluctance hung in the air. It seemed neither really wanted to say goodbye.

"That's quite alright Ms. Evie, I understand. I don't suppose you'd be okay with letting me walk you home? It's only going to get darker and I'd hate to think of you out on your own, not that I don't think you can handle yourself or anything…I…uh…" Her loud laugh cut him off his rushed rambling. The color of his face was comparable to a tomato. The 21st century really did stump him when it came to social norms with the opposite sex. Last time he offered to help a lady carry her groceries he got a fearful stare. Evie was still laughing.

"Steve, you are more than welcome to walk me home if you want to. I have to stop at the store to get some stuff, but I'll only be five minutes. I only live about a fifteen minute walk from here anyways. However, if you turn out to be an axe murderer who wants to skin me and use it as a coat, I must warn you I am an avid pepper spray fan and I scream very loud." It was Steve's turn to laugh now.

"Honestly, do you think I'd be able to afford this extortionate coffee if being a serial killer was my day job? Besides, I'm not a fan of sharp things." Although she was partially joking before, a small sense of relief did fill her. She didn't get the vibe he was a bad guy, but you could never be too careful.

They both rose from the table and tucked their chairs in, certainly not enjoying the sound the metal made screeching across the sidewalk. Now he was stood, she could really appreciate the presence and stature of this man. At an obvious at least 6 foot, he stood nearly a head and a half taller than her. Damn her short genes. Not only that, but he held himself in a manner that she had only seen from military men, an interesting addition to the picture she was building of Steve. He gestured her to walk out first, as she knew the direction they had to walk in. A steady pace was soon reached between them. Evie broke the silence first.

"So, I have a few older brothers, one army, one marine. I know a military man when I see one. You have a history?" She hoped to God she was right, otherwise an awkward exchange would've ensued.

"I do actually, good eye. Army, for a number of years. Took a different path after some changes recently. I do miss it though." Hands in his pockets, head not as high as before. A somewhat sensitive subject, she could definitely understand. Her oldest brother Quinn got shipped out in '06. Went out there with 2 legs, came back with none. He didn't like to talk about it.

"I get it. Once I graduated college I was working for this super prestigious law firm, under this guy who's like a God in the court room. I thought I could really make a difference there, you know? Change the world for people who needed saving. Turns out these fancy lawyers I looked up to were only after what everyone else is after. A sweet payday. They didn't care about looking out for the little guy or giving the middle finger to the oppressor. It's all greed, all the way to the top. Washed my hands of it pretty quick but I miss it in a way, getting the opportunity to make a difference." Steve was a little taken aback. She spoke with a real passion, and he truly felt moved by how earnest she seemed. What she said about the little guy really resonated. Wasn't too long ago that he was little guy, fighting for himself in the streets. Well, more like picking fights for himself. Still, he felt his level of respect for her rise in that moment.

"So, I'm in the presence of a lawyer? And here I was thinking she was a quiet artist type…" a smirk once again befell his face. She was glad, really. Evie was often quick to open up to new people, too quick some might say. Steve had a real knack for finding a way to break the tension or helping her feel less silly about the things she was saying, especially when she went off about her passion.

"You are correct, Sir. Graduated summa cum laude from Brooklyn Law School. Was it worth the debt? Yet to be decided." He smiled once more. He was good at that. He had a lovely smile. A chuckle rippled through him, warming her from the inside out.

"Impressive, really. So, you're not practicing at the moment then?" A fair question on his part.

"Not at the moment, no. You spend so much time getting that education and working yourself to the bone that you forget about everything else. Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you might miss it." Steve seemed a bit stunned at her words, perhaps missing that they weren't hers at all but rather from that movie, 'Ferris Bueller's day off'. What a classic. They didn't have time to discuss this, however. The store came up on their left and before she could blink, Steve had opened the door and was gesturing for her to enter first. A gentleman. Unexpected but not surprised. He seemed old-fashioned. They were in and out in, like she said, about five minutes or so. She only had to pick up some food for her fussy, spoiled cat. What the hell, that cat was sixteen years old. If he wanted canned salmon, he could have canned salmon. After another five minutes of walking they reached her building. She turned to face him and craned her neck to look up at his eyes.

"Well, this is me. Thank you for walking me home. Not a lot of gentlemen in these parts, so it was nice you didn't murder me." Wow. Way to be smooth and cool, Evie. Keep going on about murder and he may just do it. Steve removed his hands from his pockets and held one out for Evie. She reached out and took his much larger hand. It was warm and soft. A gentle shake followed.

"No problem at all, Ms. Evie." He shuffled after releasing her hand, an awkward air around him. "I don't suppose you'd feel comfortable giving me your number? I don't know a lot of people outside my roommates and…uh…it might be nice to grab a coffee sometime if you want…?" He wasn't making eye contact now. Rather, he was looking down at his brown shoes. He seemed so much shyer and smaller like this.

"I'll give you my number on one condition, you give me yours in return. That way we're even. Also, coffee sounds great. I'll try not to throw this once all over your possessions." Now it was her turn to be relieving the tension. Steve lifted his head, fumbling about his pockets for that blasted phone he couldn't work. With a triumphant look he pulled it from the left front pocket of his jeans, placing in Evie's outstretched hand. After a few taps it was returned to him with the name 'Evie Graham' and a phone number written into his contacts. It was his turn to do the same for her, only he had absolutely no idea what he was doing or how to put a phone number in. Sensing this, Evie intervened.

"Steve would you prefer to right it down on a piece of paper and I can put it in later?" The look he shot her was enough to make her heart bleed. After a solemn nod and a small smile, he handed back her phone. She dug through her purse to find a scrap of something and a writing tool. Several scrawled numbers later, the pen and paper were returned to her. He has his easy-going air back, now that the technology was away.

"I better get upstairs and feed the gremlin…" If she was being truthful with herself, she really didn't want to say goodbye to Steve. It's not often you meet the most handsome guy in the universe on a whim, throw coffee all over him, have him walk you home _and_ ask you out. She must have done something major in a past life to be rewarded with this kind of luck. Steve raised both hands in understanding.

"Absolutely. It was wonderful to meet you, Evie. I really enjoyed talking to you. I'm not sure what a gremlin is but say hi to your cat for me. He's lucky he gets the pleasure of your company all night." Shy, but sweet Steve came out again. Wow. If he wasn't careful she'd turn up in a wedding dress to the future coffee date. As she began ascending the front steps of her building, she turned.

"I will tell him you say hello. He's deaf and old and only cares about food and sleep so I doubt he'll reciprocate. It was lovely talking with you Steve, really. Thank you again for walking me home. Feel free to call me or text me whenever. Goodnight." She flashed a sweet smile his way. He really had brightened up her day.

"Goodnight, Ms. Evie." With that, they went their separate ways. Not before a quick glance back at the other, of course.

Once inside her apartment, Evie let out a squeal. What a dreamboat. Possum at her feet was glaring up at her. Ten minutes late for food time was unacceptable in his eyes. The bag from the store was dumped on the counter as she unfurled the little piece of paper she had in her hand that Steve had written on. Sorry, Possum. Dinnertime can wait another few minutes. With a curious gaze, she peered at what he had written.

_**Steve Rogers**_. Weird. She could've sworn she'd heard that name before.


	2. Chapter 2

_The stiff cotton bed sheets were on their way to making her hands quite sore as she rubbed them between her thumb and first finger repeatedly. It helped her feel grounded in that moment where it felt like there may never be ground again. Not for Evie, anyway. It had been 5 years since her Dad had vanished, leaving them all empty and seeking answers they would never have. Evie's Mom was the pillar of strength that prevented them from falling into the pit of grief after they received the news that his plane had gone down, never to be found. She thought it couldn't get any worse for them. She was so, so wrong. Stage 4 pancreatic cancer. No symptoms. No cure. For months they watched the woman who they all looked to in times of crisis succumb to her illness, becoming so frail she couldn't even speak to her children. The final hours with her were upon them. _

"_Mom…Mom can you hear me? It's Evie." She was alone in the room with her mother. They'd been taking it in turns to say their final goodbyes. Evie felt guilty for not wanting her turn to come around. "We're all here with you, you've fought so hard. It's okay, you can let go. We'll all be okay. We have each other, we'll always have each other. I know it's not been easy looking after us without Dad, but we all think you're the best Mom in the whole world and…" a sob cut off her words. She never thought it would be like this. Never like this. "…and we're so lucky to have you. We haven't always been the best kids, but we love you so much." With that, Evie bent to rest her forehead on her mother's arm. Deep, wracking sobs shook her. It was so unfair. So goddamn unfair. Lost in her emotions, Evie didn't feel the soft graze of her mother's fingers over her clothed elbow but rather heard the prolonged, uninterrupted beep of the heart monitor that followed shortly after. _

"_Mom…no, no, no…MOM, Mom…don't go Mom please…don't leave me"_

A firm nudge to the face awoke her with a start. Possum was hungry. Evie sat bolt upright in her bed, trembling. She hadn't had that dream in a while, certainly not in such vivid detail. It was like she was back there, in that hospital room. The smell of disinfectant, the sounds of all those monitors attached to her Mom, the feel of those bed sheets beneath her fingers. It had been ten years, but the memory never faded, never became less painful. Her Mom was long gone, but the hole she left was wider than the Sargasso Sea. Try as she might, nothing was able to fill it. Her brothers were still living in Connecticut. In the very same house she grew up in and in the very same house her family fell apart in. She hadn't seen them all since Chris's engagement party. She was glad he found Brent. Bridgeport wasn't known for its thriving LGBT community and it took a long time for him to find that someone. It seemed she was the only one among her siblings that hadn't. Her mind floated back to Steve from a few days prior. Rolling over to grab her phone off the nightstand, she peered at the too-bright screen. Still nothing. She hadn't received a text or a call from him. Zip. Nada. If she was being totally honest with herself, she was quite disappointed. They hadn't really shared much more than polite conversation, but she felt strangely…connected to him? It was weird. Maybe he didn't know how to send a text or call. He did seem a little frightened of the thing as he handed it over for her to input her number. Yeah, that was probably it. Then again, it was 2012. Who didn't know how to work a phone these days? Even her Grandma used to have a little one she could call all the grandchildren off of. Enough. She didn't consider herself a bull-by-the-horns kind of gal, but she was not about to be ghosted by Mr. Handsome face. A tap later, the phone was ringing. It didn't take long to be picked up.

"Uh, hello?" Steve's hesitant voice sounded on the other end. He wasn't standoffish, but he did sound confused.

"Hi Steve. It's Evie from the coffee shop? I spilled my latte on your book…" While she didn't like to keep bringing it up, she felt it was necessary to jog his memory a little. He might've totally forgotten about her.

"Evie! Hi. I've been meaning to call, really I have. Would it be totally embarrassing for me to admit that I'm not 100% confident with using a phone? I didn't want you to think I wasn't going to call, I just couldn't really figure it out…and you're laughing." Though she did try to conceal them, Evie's giggles could be heard through her hand and by Steve.

"Sorry Steve, I'm not laughing at you I swear. It's just not often you hear of someone young not being able to use their phone, it's sweet. But, don't worry I'm not upset or anything. I was actually calling to see if you wanted to get that coffee? Perhaps at an indoor café this time, my legs got scorched by that metal chair. I can also give you some phone lessons if you like…Grandpa…" Evie kept her tone light, making it clear she was teasing him. Steve let out a warm laugh.

"Grandpa? Oh, so that's how it is. Alright. Alright." A huge grin adorned Evie's face. "I'd love to have coffee with you again, Evie. And honestly, phone lessons sound pretty good. I need all the help I can get. How about I swing by your place at about eleven? I know this really nice joint about 5 blocks away." He seemed much more confident now than he did when he first asked her out. Before he was like a shy schoolboy. Maybe it was because it wasn't face to face.

"Sounds great! I'll see you at eleven. When you get here just buzz apartment seven and I'll come down." Was it weird that she was giving him her apartment number?

"Swell. I'll see you later, then. Bye, Evie." She reciprocated and the phone call ended. The last time she heard 'swell' was out of the mouth of her grandma. She was gathering the impression that Steve was a very old fashioned man. His name still rang a bell somewhere in her mind, like she'd heard it many years ago. Perhaps she could ask him about it later. He might've been some child star that went off the rails and spent all his adult years in rehab which would explain why he didn't know how to work modern technology and how she knew his name. But, alas, that just didn't seem right. Steve came across far too wholesome to be some drug addict teenager. Another harsh nudge from Possum prompted her to finally move from underneath the covers that rested at her waist and get out of bed. It was 9:30. An hour and a half until Steve got here. Feed the gremlin, shower, get dressed, eat, maybe put on some makeup. Probably in that order.

Steve turned up eleven on the dot and Evie was not surprised. Punctuality being a trait of his seemed about right. A harsh buzz sounded throughout the otherwise quiet apartment, signifying that he was downstairs. Evie jumped up from the chair she was waiting in to grab the phone.

"Hello?" she spoke into the receiver.

"Hi Evie, it's Steve. I'm outside." He always seemed so friendly and nice. A contrast to the normal mood of the average New Yorker. Although she knew he couldn't see her, she smoothed down the front of her white blouse and pushed her hair behind her ear. She wouldn't admit it, but she maybe might have possibly made a small effort for their unofficial date.

"I'll be right down, Steve." With an affirmative on his end she put the phone back on the wall and grabbed her bag. Once the door to her apartment was closed, she began the descent down the 4 flights of stairs to the street. Before she had even left the building she could see Steve outside, hands in his pockets. She could've sworn he looked more handsome now than when she met him, a feat she didn't believe was possible. Blue shirt rolled up to the elbows, jeans, brown shoes. Simple but effective. He turned to her as he heard the door open and shot a breath-taking smile in her direction.

"Evie! You look lovely." He extended a hand in her direction. Once her hand was firmly in his he raised it to his mouth and brushed a soft kiss across her knuckles. Definitely unexpected on Evie's end. After his confidence on the phone and now this, it was like a whole new Steve.

"You look great too, Steve." Her response came out a little fumbled, her brain seemingly in a frenzy. He extended his elbow in her direction and she weaved her hand through it as they began their slow stroll down the street.

"How have you been?" Steve's question broke the silence that had fallen between them. Her gaze rose from the pavement before them and up to his eyes, which were gazing in her direction. She felt herself swoon a small bit.

"Yeah good. Possum's been keeping me busy being his demanding little self. Started a new painting too, this one I'm trying to be a little less haphazard about." They shared a laugh. "I'm actually using brushes and not trying to do it all at once, which is a nice change. Its on a smaller canvas too, less room to mess it up I guess…what about you?" It was surprising to her that Steve listened intently to what she was saying even though it was a touch long-winded and somewhat boring. Most people tuned out, Possum included.

"I'd love to see this new one when it's done, if that's alright with you." She blushed but nodded. "I've been good. Work is always a lot but my friends and I all work together so it's not so bad." He spoke quite vaguely about work, something she was sure he did on purpose. Not that she blamed him, they were still technically acquaintances.

"That sounds nice. Although I left the law firm I did work with a really lovely girl called Maria. She was a real sweetheart, made me feel so welcome. We became really close over the few months I was there. We still keep in touch." It was still hard for Evie to talk about the firm. She'd wanted to become a lawyer for so long and spent so much time and money doing it that when it didn't work out she felt very empty.

"Are you working currently?" She looked up at Steve's question and met his eyes. She'd say they were the bluest eyes she'd ever seen. It took her a moment to respond.

"Yeah I am. Went through a stage of trying to figure stuff out but the bills come all the same. I work at a little bar 4 nights a week. It's not great but it pays, and it gets me out of the house." She didn't feel like explaining that while her job did help with the financial situation, she had a small fortune left to her by her parents after her mother's death that helped keep her afloat. Honestly, she got the job because she was sick of rattling round that apartment like a tic-tac, wallowing in the grief left behind by so much loss.

"Hey, a job's a job. It's good to get out, though. God knows, it's taken me a lot to step out of my comfort zone and actually do things that make me happy." They exchanged a smile. The conversation flowed so easily between the pair, something Evie was very glad about. She didn't have the best luck when it came to men, partially because she avoided them like the plague. Well, most of the time. She was pulled out of her thoughts as Steve steered her left to the entrance of the café, pulling the door open for her and gesturing for her to enter the shop first. That would definitely take some getting used to. It was much quieter in this place than where they had first met, but it seemed really quaint and nice. An older lady approached them.

"Mrs Lopez, so nice to see you again!" Steve leaned forward and embraced this new woman. She was greying around the temples, possibly in her sixty's, and had gorgeous olive skin. She eyed Evie over his shoulder with a warm gaze.

"This must be the artist girl you were telling me about…you didn't say she was so pretty." This immediately set the pair into a hot red blush as Steve shot Evie an apologetic look. Mrs Lopez had a thick Spanish accent and was about 5 feet tall. Evie got the impression she was a bit of a mother hen. Steve cleared his throat.

"I don't suppose we could have the table in the nook, Mrs Lopez? Weathers beautiful out." He looked sheepishly at the older woman, but Evie knew she would absolutely say yes to him. It was hard not to.

"Of course, my boy. You and your lady friend sit wherever you like. I'll bring over the usual." With that, the little lady disappeared behind a swinging door, leaving Steve and Evie stood looking rather awkwardly at one another.

"Come on, I'll show you where the table is. You'll love it." Steve hovered a hand over the middle of her back and guided them to his requested seat. He was right, she loved it. The café itself was old and definitely a family run business, but it was so full of life. Plants hung off the walls and the tables had old wine bottles with candles in for the centerpieces. She could understand why Steve liked it here. The particular table he had led them to was set for two people. It was, as described, set back in a window nook, with the window itself being half stained glass. Rustic, if she had to pick a word. Steve allowed her to sit first and then slid himself into the booth on the other side. She couldn't take her eyes off the view. Just outside the window was an amazing view of the Hudson. She deliberately found an apartment as close to the water as possible when she moved, and she was often going on walks around the neighborhood, so it was surprising she'd never stumbled across this place before. Evie didn't know why but being by water made her feel so calm. Being in Steve's presence added to that tenfold.

"It's beautiful isn't it?" Steve's voice drew her out of her gazing. His hands were folded on the dark oak table in between them. She ran her eyes up his forearms, a myriad of little white scars marred his otherwise tanned skin. Evie really did have questions for this man in front of her. Her eyes continued their journey upwards to meet his intense gaze.

"It's amazing, Steve. How on earth did you find this place?" Steve smiled softly.

"I was away from Manhattan for a long time. When I got home, the city I grew up in wasn't a place I knew anymore. It was difficult. I spent a while reacquainting myself with everything and that's when I found this." He gestured around him, "Mrs. Lopez was so kind to me. She lost her son in the marines a few years back so when she found out I'd been in the services she kind of adopted me. I try to come in and see her a couple of times a week." He shrugged as if it was nothing, but his eyes shone. Steve hadn't told her so, but she got the impression that, besides his friends, he was alone too.

"I can't imagine how hard that must've been for you. I know when my brothers would come home they would have this adjustment period where they'd have to get used to sleeping on mattresses again and drinking coffee in the mornings. You're a good man, Steve. I'm sure Mrs. Lopez loves seeing you." She leant across the table and laid her hand on top of his. The tips of his ears went a little pink. Evie was trying to convey the amount of respect she had for him. She hoped it was getting through.

"Thank you, Evie." He smiled gently at her. Their moment was interrupted as Mrs. Lopez came bumbling to the table with a tray in her hands. Evie withdrew her hand from atop Steve's.

"Here we go, children. Tortilla Española with chorizo. Don't worry, Steven, I didn't forget the orxata. I know that's what you really come here for." She leaned in and pinched his cheek in a motherly fashion, beaming at him. Evie had to stop herself from getting a bit wet around the eyes. This woman clearly cared for Steve like he was her own. If she was being totally honest, a little bit of envy was filling her. Ten long, long years without her mother. Evie couldn't remember the last time she felt someone care for her in a mothering way. She'd been in New York for so many years, having moved when she turned eighteen not even six months after her mother passed. Her brothers cared, of course they did. But they were all off having kids and getting married. It felt for Evie that she was the only one still in mourning, unable to move forward. Steve gently grabbed Mrs. Lopez's wrist and moved her hand from his cheek, grimacing ever so slightly.

"Thank you so much, Mrs. Lopez. This all looks fantastic." Evie spoke her agreement and smiled. It really did look great. The older woman moved towards Evie and took one of her hands, taking both Steve and Evie herself by great surprise.

"You come tell Mama Lopez if this boy ever hurt you, okay? As much as I love him, boys are stupid, and he may be 6 feet tall, but he can still get the chancla like my other boys." Evie gawped at her for a moment, rendered speechless. Then, she burst out laughing. Mrs. Lopez and Steve followed. "I will leave you to enjoy the food before it gets cold, my children. Mark my words, Steven." She waggled a finger in his direction as she retreated to the kitchen once more. Evie and Steve still had waves of giggles floating through them.

"My goodness, she's a character. I can see why you love her." Evie took a drink of the orxata to try and swallow the laughter. Steve sat in his side of the booth just grinning from ear to ear.

"She's great, she really is." With that, the giggles died down and they both began to tuck into the large tortilla laid out before them. The food was so good, it took them less than twenty minutes between them to finish it. They both leaned back with hands on stomachs.

"I don't think I'll be able to eat for the rest of the year." Evie breathed, rubbing her stomach lightly. "However, that was the best Spanish omelette I've ever had. In my whole life. Ever." She looked up at Steve and saw that he was gazing at her softly.

"You know, I'm really glad you called me, Evie." Steve spoke with a sweet look.

"I'm glad I called you too." Evie returned it.

"Can I ask you something, Evie?" He seemed more hesitant, and broke their eye contact to look at his threaded fingers. Evie gulped.

"Of course you can, Steve." For some reason, her palms began to sweat. She wasn't afraid of what he would ask, but rather the answer she would have to give.

"Do you know who I am?" Confusion. Evie felt pure confusion.

"What do you mean? Please tell me you're not a drug addict child star…" She blanched. Maybe her earlier theory was about to be proved correct.

"What? No. I'm not even sure I know what that is. Uh, okay, so you know I said I work in the military? I was telling the truth, I swear, just not all of it." He finally looked up into her eyes. "Evie, how much do you know about Captain America?"


	3. Chapter 3

Polishing glasses was possibly the worst job. But, somehow, Evie was given it every time. Although today, she didn't really mind it. The repetitive action required little to no mental awareness, and the bar was very quiet. It always was on Wednesdays. The glasswasher girls had left about two hours ago, with only Evie and another bartender called Sophie remaining in the establishment. Unless you counted the skeezy boss who was upstairs, but he never came down. There was a sawed off under the counter if there was any trouble, and Evie could handle herself. The bar was occupied by a few regulars, faces Evie saw often that would soon be taking their leave. It was approaching nine o'clock, almost closing time. Try as she might, Evie could not shake the thoughts that lingered after her date with Steve. As the night progressed the bar emptied, and the noise dwindled into silence. There was nothing left to distract her from the new truth that existed between her and Steve. Evie almost wished he hadn't told her, that he'd kept her in the dark for as long as possible. But he didn't, and his confession was suffocating.

"_Evie, how much do you know about Captain America?" Steve's eyes held a pleading look. Evie was so captivated she almost missed what he'd asked her. She replayed his question in her mind. This didn't make sense. Why was he asking about Captain America?_

"_What…what are you talking about?" She found it difficult to form words. Here she was, panicking, thinking he'd found out something about her childhood or her family. God knows, there was a lot to be dug up. Steve stumbled but continued._

"_I…okay…I know this is going to be hard to believe…but hear me out. My name is Steven Grant Rogers. I was born on the 4__th__ of July 1918. I was ninety pounds with a whole host of illnesses that made it impossible to serve in the war. I tried so many times to enlist. Men were out there laying down their lives, I had no right to do any less. A doctor saw how much I wanted to help and took a chance. I was made into the world's first and only super soldier. Towards the end of the war, I lost my best friend. After that I had nothing to lose. My final mission had me on this plane with bombs destined for every major city. We won, but I had no other choice. I had to put it in the water. For me, it was the end. Until last year, when they found me, and I woke up in a different century." He let out a long sigh. She could almost see the weight lift off of him. "That's the truth, Evie. All of it." Once he'd finished he laid his clenched hands on the table, holding her gaze. Evie's mind was ablaze, unable to produce a single coherent thought. She'd heard the stories of the star-spangled man in school, and had seen a man dressed in his uniform during that whole confrontation with the aliens in New York, but Steve? Steve, the kind artist who insisted on walking her home and remembered the name of her cat? Steve, the guy who brought her to his secret place and introduced her to his 'adoptive' mother? _

_**Steve Rogers.**_

_The fog cleared. That's how she recognised his damn name. It was in the history books for Christ's sake. How could she have missed this? It explained everything. Why he was shady about his job, the military background, the chivalry. It all made perfect sense. Evie felt quite dumb. Her Steve was __**the**__ Steve. She opened and closed her mouth. What was she supposed to say? Okay? Thanks for telling me? _

"_Evie…Evie please, talk to me…tell me what you're thinking." _

_This was an easy thing for Steve to request when he wasn't just on the receiving end of a major revelation. Maybe she should tell him she was half-wolf or something to even the score. She took a deep breath._

"_Steve…I…uh…I believe you, for starters." She paused, rubbing her forehead. "Captain America? Geez, of all the things I did not see this one coming. Wife, kids, criminal record. I could probably handle all that, but this…" _

"_Is it a bad thing? I wanted to tell you because…I…I wanted you to know the real me, not some fake persona with parts of me censored. I like you, Evie, and I don't want to lie to you." He seemed desperate now, desperate for acceptance on Evie's end. He reached forward to grasp her hand. _

"_I understand why you had to tell me, Steve, I really do. It's just a lot to take in at once. I should have known, though. You're not very good at being subtle, you're just lucky I'm not that observant." She tried to laugh. She failed. A tray was put on the table between them as Mrs. Lopez started placing their empty dishes onto it. Evie jumped and pulled her hand from under Steve's. _

"_How was everything, children?" She looked between them. Evie nodded but didn't look at Steve. _

"_Lovely, Mrs. Lopez, thank you." She hesitated and looked down into her lap. "I'm afraid I'm not feeling very well, though. I'm going to head home, but it was so nice to meet you. I'm sorry I couldn't stay longer." With that, Evie rose from the table and hot-footed it out of the small Spanish café without even a backwards glance at her forlorn date. _

It had been 5 days since she'd spoken to Steve. He'd tried to call her twice but after she didn't pick up, he stopped. He hadn't turned up at her apartment either. She was glad, in all honesty. She wasn't deliberately trying to hurt him or push him away, but she didn't know what else to do. The one man she found that she actually likes turned out to be nearly a hundred years old, not to mention he's a government agent. Her dad was working for the government when he went missing, his specific job she was unsure of. He missed so much of her childhood because of 'work stuff'. Before that he was in the military, a path two of her brothers followed. Her whole life centred around the forces and the government. It was the excuse for every missed birthday, every missed soccer game, every Christmas with empty chairs. It was the reason her father was gone, and it was the reason Quinn was missing both his legs. How could she date a man that worked for the same people that brought ruin upon her family, that was a source of so much heartache in her young life? Evie was at a loss. But, she desperately wanted to see him. She felt so bad she'd ran out of the café. He didn't deserve that.

The bell above the door rang, startling Evie out of her guilty daydreams. A red head entered the bar. Evie didn't recognise her, which was odd. Only regulars came to the dive bar she worked at. The red head sauntered over to the counter Evie was behind and slid onto a squeaky stool.

"I'll have a beer." She spoke with a deeper, raspy tone. Evie would be lying if she said she didn't feel a tiny little bit afraid of this woman. She complied, cracking open a Budweiser and sliding it into the woman's pale hand.

"Anything else I can get you, Ma'am?" Evie tried to hide the trembling of her hands by grabbing a nearby rag and wiping the counter down, desperately avoiding the intense gaze upon her. From out of the corner of her eye, Evie could've sworn she saw a smirk pass across the woman's rosy mouth.

"I'm good with this, thank you." She raised the beer to her lips and took a swig. She swallowed and spoke again. "Although, I was wondering if you could help me out with something." Evie put down the damp rag and finally made eye contact with the mysterious figure. She had a feeling this wasn't going to be the average asking-for-directions gig.

"Of course. Go ahead." She folded her arms and schooled her expression. This bar was her domain and she'd be damned before she let a customer intimidate her. The woman put down her beer with an audible thump.

"You see, I have a friend. He's been seeing this girl, very early stages, but you can tell they like one another. Everything was going swimmingly, tons in common, great conversation, until she walked away when he poured his heart out and told her his deepest secret." Evie stood up straighter and uncrossed her arms, taking the defensive. "Sound familiar?" The woman stared straight into Evie's eyes, unflinching. There was maybe a full minute where the two women exchanged nothing but a frosty glare.

"You don't know me. Who are you?" Evie leaned forward slightly and placed her palms flat on the bar. She decided that, with the gun under the wooden surface she had her hands on, and the basic combat training her brothers forced her to have, she was going to be a little brave. Who the hell did this woman think she was, waltzing in here like she owned the place, talking down to Evie about her relationship with Steve? How did she even know where Evie worked? She had never told Steve that.

"Natasha, and you don't know me. But I know you." Natasha kept her voice and eye contact very even. "Evelyn Graham. Born and raised in Bridgeport, Connecticut. 3 older brothers, Quinn, Andrew, and Christopher. You graduated from the Brooklyn Law School with a degree, but you didn't practise for long. Both your parents died before you turned 18, Andrew became your guardian. Would you like me to go on?" Evie was speechless. Steve was Captain America so that must've meant she was talking to the infamous Black Widow. Great. She was feeling less brave now. The fact that Black Widow did a freaking background check on her after a date and half with Steve was more than a little unnerving, not to mention invasive. Evie took a deep breath.

"Okay, so there's a file on me somewhere. Why do you even care enough to come down here, did he send you?" Evie couldn't hide her exasperation. It was almost time for her to go home and although she was scary, Black Widow was keeping her from her bed. Natasha levelled a somewhat insincere smile in her direction.

"Steve is my friend, but he doesn't even know I'm here. We all saw the change in him once he'd met you. He was nicer to be around, not so mopey, seemed optimistic about where things would go. So imagine my surprise, and disappointment, when I find out that the girl he likes ran out on him during a date. A date where he shared some intimate personal details." It was Natasha's turn to take the high ground, it seemed. Okay, fair. It was a terrible thing she did, and she did feel genuine remorse.

"I know what I did was wrong. I just felt so overwhelmed in the moment. You've read my damn file, you know my history. I just didn't, and still don't, know if I can handle all that. I moved away from my family to distance myself from it all and now it's right on my doorstep." Evie brought a hand up to rub her forehead. She was not expecting to have this conversation tonight. Especially not with Black goddamn Widow. Natasha nodded, in what seemed like understanding. Perhaps this wasn't going to end with Evie's face punched in by Natasha, seeking revenge for her hurting Steve.

"I get it, trust me I do. But, like you said, it was a shitty thing to do. Steve has been miserable these past few days, moping around the tower like someone stepped on his puppy. You didn't even return his phone calls. You know, he made me show him how to make a phone call, just so he could call you. He thought turning up at your door was inappropriate." If Evie wasn't feeling guilty before, she certainly felt it now. Maybe she was overreacting. They'd literally had one official date. It was way, way too soon to tell if a relationship was on the cards, and at best they were friends. Maybe she was freaking out over nothing. It wouldn't be the first time. She dropped her shoulders and looked up at Natasha, defeated.

"I don't think he'd even want to see me, Natasha. I wouldn't want to see me, given the circumstances. I doubt he'd even answer if I called." Now she had accepted that she needed to see him again, the possibility that he wouldn't want to see her made her feel slightly sick.

"Don't be stupid. He's been pining over you for days, and he barely even knows you. Call him. Put him out of his misery." Evie knew Natasha was right. She had a feeling Natasha was right about a lot of things in general. A quick glance at the clock on the wall confirmed that it was past closing now. Evie hadn't noticed but the regulars had all cleared out. She turned back to Natasha.

"Okay, I'll call him. I've got to finish up here and get home. Will he still be awake at this hour?" Steve didn't seem like a night owl, but she was desperate to call him, to apologise for everything. What a mess she had made for herself.

"Oh he'll be up. I imagine he'll be at the old boxing gym on ninth." With that, Natasha stood from the barstool with a loud creak. She glanced back at Evie on her sashay towards the door. "It was nice to meet you, Evie. I'll see you again soon, I'm sure." The door banged behind her. God, she moved fast.

Evie reached the front door of her apartment with a sigh. 4 flights of stairs after an eight hour shift certainly wasn't something she looked forward to. However, seeing the chubby little face of her cat that was behind the door _was_ something she looked forward to. As she pushed the door open and made her way inside, she thought back to the conversation she had with Natasha not a half hour beforehand. She didn't know what she was going to say to Steve. Possum chirped around her ankles, glad his human was home. Not that he'd really missed her, he spent most of his days asleep in the chair by the window. For him it had probably been about an hour since he'd last seen her. Oh how she envied the little beastie.

"What do I say…for god's sake why is this so difficult?" Evie had been home for over an hour. She laid flat on her couch looking up at the ceiling, phone in hand. If she had to guess, she'd say she probably nearly hit the call button about 7 times. Possum had given up and had pulled himself up onto her bed. She was close to joining him. She just didn't know what she'd say to Steve once he picked up. The word 'sorry' seemed a little weak, given the mess she'd made of it all. Evie sat up, fast enough to make her head spin. She couldn't call him. No, it wasn't enough. She needed to see him, to talk to him in person and get everything off her chest. Faltering, she realised that she didn't know where to find him exactly. Natasha did mention he was moping around 'the tower', and he did say that he lived with 'roommates', which was a very loose term for the freaking _Avengers_. Okay, so it was safe to assume he lived at the Avengers Tower. There was no guarantee he'd be there, and there was an extremely high possibility the security would laugh in her face. Wait. The gym on ninth. Natasha said he'd likely be there. She scrambled off her couch and dove for her jacket that she'd thrown across the back of it, having already pulled it on before she reached the front door. Before she darted out, the painting she'd finished the day before caught her eye. Steve did say he wanted to see it, and maybe it would help her apology. She needed all the help she could get.

The gym on ninth was small. Unless you knew it was there, Evie imagined it was extremely easy to miss. Perhaps that's why Steve liked it. It was creeping up on eleven o'clock. She really hoped Steve was here, otherwise her venture was for nothing. The small painting Evie carried in a tote bag felt like it weighed a ton, mirroring the guilt pressing on her chest. She'd definitely made the right decision coming here. Well, she hoped she did. The door groaned in protest as she made her way inside. The corridor ahead was dimly lit, given the hour. She took hesitant steps in the direction of the repetitive thumping sounds, praying to god that it was the sound of a punching bag being hit and not someone being murdered. That was the last thing she needed tonight. Turning the corner in the old gym, Evie laid eyes on the man she'd hurt. Although she was relieved to see him, nerves crept through her bones. Now she was here and knew for a fact he was too, her body seemed to freeze. Hearing the scuff of her shoes at her abrupt halt, Steve stopped his punching and turned to face the intruder. A look of shock overtook his chiselled features. She could imagine her's was the last face Steve expected to see.

"Evie?" He breathed, "What…what are you doing here?" He seemed genuinely confused. She would be too, in his position. Taking a few steps in his direction, she looked up into his intense blue eyes. Gulp.

"Steve I…Natasha told me you'd be here." He looked like he was about to interject but she stopped him, "Don't ask. Anyway, I came here to um…to apologise to you, really. My intention was never to hurt you or to make you feel like you being…uh…Captain America is a bad thing. God, that's going to take some getting used to. I shouldn't have walked out, and I shouldn't have ignored your phone calls. I'm so sorry, Steve. Getting to know you over the one and a half dates we've had has been such a pleasure. You're so sweet and you make me laugh and you make me feel like maybe not all guys are jerks." She breathed a laugh. "What I'm saying is, I'd love for you to give me another chance. I know I reacted badly but I really like you and I – " Evie was pulled from her rambling when Steve strode over to her in about three large steps, took her by the waist and pressed his warm mouth against hers. The bag she was holding hit the ground with a clatter. It took her a moment to realise what was going on. Steve was _kissing_ her. This was an unexpected, but definitely not unwelcome, turn of events. His kiss was soft and made her feel warm all over. He pulled away from her slowly, opening his eyes to peer at her. Evie looked at him in a daze.

"Have I ever told you that you ramble a lot?" Steve was grinning down at her now. Hot relief flooded through her. She didn't know what she would've done if Steve had told her to get lost. They shared a laugh together, as Evie leaned to place her head under Steve's chin.

"I get that a lot…" She couldn't believe what just happened. She and Steve had just kissed. Evie had received a kiss from Steve. This was certainly not how she thought the end of her night would go, but she was by no means complaining. Leaning back, Steve nudged her head out from under his chin and laid another soft peck on her lips, this one much briefer than the first. They both seemed to be blushing deep scarlet.

"I like you too, Evie. I can't believe you came all the way down here to apologise. There is no need for a second chance, the first ones still pretty intact. So you got a little freaked out when I told you. I'd be worried if you didn't. Honestly, I'm just glad I got to see you again." She truly was so relieved that she hadn't wrecked it all with him. "Although, I have to ask…what's in that bag?" He directed both of their eyes to ground where it lay. The bag. She had totally forgotten about the painting between all the talking and the kissing. Reaching down for the tote, she pulled the small canvas free of its confines and placed it in his hands. For a moment, Steve said nothing. Then, he broke out in possibly the toothiest grin Evie had ever seen on the man. Apparently, the way to this man's heart was a confession and a painting of her fat cat.


	4. Chapter 4

Out of the frying pan and into the fire, Evie thought to herself. Today was the day she'd been dreading for the last three weeks. It had taken very intense convincing and the promise of a drawing, but Steve had managed to do it. He'd got her to agree to meet 'the team', as he called them. She'd already met Natasha briefly and although she was terrifying, it did lessen her nerves somewhat knowing that there would be one familiar face there. Evie could totally understand Steve's desire for her to meet those he thought of as family, but with no definitive label to their relationship, she couldn't help but feel some hesitation. The past few weeks had been nothing short of amazing. A couple of movies, dinners, a night at the pier, picnics in Central Park. If she was being honest with herself, the feelings she had for Steve were growing to be irrefutable. Never once was he pressing her in terms of intimacy or moving faster. It was like a dream. It wasn't like it had been months or anything, but she wished he'd ask her officially to be his. God, she sounded so needy. Sitting and waiting for him to get to her apartment really gave Evie time for overthinking. She glanced over her shoulder to the fat cat that was lazing on the couch. She wished she could burrow herself into his soft, dark fur and disappear forever. Alas, such a thing was not possible. She had to meet the Avengers, for Steve and for their relationship. Swirling the leftover coffee in her cup, Evie wondered what would happen if they didn't like her. This particular train of thought was popular in her mind since Steve had asked her to go with him to visit the tower. Would it affect her relationship with him? Was Steve seeking their approval before taking things further? What if she broke something really expensive? She had money, but not Tony Stark money. She was pretty sure only Tony Stark had Tony Stark money. Thinking of the billionaire made her feel quite sick. To her, he was the one she was most nervous to meet. Obviously the media like to twist stories and lie, but it wasn't hard to imagine the kind of character he would be, given what she'd heard from Steve and in the press. If her memory served her right, Steve had worked with Tony's father, Howard, way back when. If so, that would explain Steve's fondness when he spoke of his team mate. One of the only connections he had to a life that was no longer his, was Tony. Even more of a reason to try her hardest to impress the team. They were more than Steve's family. They were his lifeline.

Her phone rang, splitting the silence that had blanketed the small apartment. Steve's name lit up the screen, and she answered with a smile.

"Hey handsome, you downstairs?" She spoke, as she rose from the table and moved to place her coffee cup in the sink. He was more confident using his phone now that she'd shown him what was what.

"I am indeed. You ready, sugar?" Peppy as always. She loved that about him. Sugar was new too. She'd been slipping in little pet names here and there to test the waters and he seemed very receptive of them, even offering a few in return.

"As I'll ever be. I'll be down in five, just got to grab my purse." He spoke an affirmative and hung up. God, it was actually happening now. Swinging her cross-body bag over her shoulder, Evie caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror by her front door. She may have put in a tiny bit of effort when dressing herself that morning. Hopefully Steve wouldn't notice she was trying a little hard. But now, it was go time. She smoothed down her white sundress, opened the door and left her cosy sanctuary.

Steve was waiting on the steps as usual when she reached the entranceway. She was relieved and somewhat surprised to see that he had also made an effort with his appearance. A smooth navy button down adorned his broad physique, with dark blue jeans and brown boots finishing off the look. Steve hardly ever wore jeans. He was still getting to grips with having jeans be 'casual attire'.

"Evie! You look stunning." He held a hand out for her and helped her down the few steps that led up to her building. She was wearing lace-up sandals that had a small square heel, so she was grateful for his help.

"Thanks Stevie! You do too. Where on earth have you been hiding that shirt?" They transitioned into holding hands as she reached the pavement and they began walking in the direction of the tower. He laughed lightly at her question.

"I had it in the closet. Figured today was a good a time as any to wear it. You like it?" He sheepishly smiled down at her, genuinely happy that she liked what he'd chosen to wear. Goddamn, he was endearing. Cue the butterflies.

"I love it, Steve. It really brings out the colour of your eyes. And those jeans…my lord." She nudged him teasingly and he flushed a light pink. He made it so easy.

"Alright, alright. Enough about me. How have you been?" Now came the conundrum. Did she tell him she'd been lying awake all night, stressing to her bones about today? Or should she bend the truth and tell him she'd been looking forward to today? The latter seemed the least likely to upset or worry him.

"I've been good. Painting, looking after Possum, working. The usual. I'm looking forward to meeting the team." Saying that last part was harder than she originally thought. Thankfully Steve didn't notice.

"Sounds good. Yeah, they're excited to meet you too. I've been talking about you a lot, so they'll be glad to finally put a face to your name." So optimistic. She'd made the right decision not telling him how much heavy dread she felt. It would kill her to crush his spirit, and today was about making him happy. Not her anxiety about the possibility of their relationship ending.

"How long have they known about me and how much have you told them?" She couldn't help the nerves that crept into her questions. She was totally fine meeting strangers, it was her job to smile and serve strangers. But the Avengers? A whole different calibre. She could have a hundred hours of etiquette lessons and still feel inadequate to be in their presence.

"Well I told Nat about you a few days after we met. She knew something was different with me, perception is her job. The others found out in dribs and drabs. Tony was surprised but interested to know more about you, I think. For so long it's just been me, so I think overall they're just glad I'm not on my own anymore. I haven't shared everything, don't worry. Just told them what you do, and that you have brothers and just other little details. Everything else is up to you to tell them, if that's what you want." He gazed down at her in slight concern. Maybe she wasn't being as subtle as she thought.

"That's fine, Steve. Honestly don't worry about me. I'm slightly nervous, yeah," understatement of the century, "but I'm excited. What girl gets to say they've met the avengers not under world-ending circumstances?" He nodded and chuckled, seemingly soothed by her response. They walked in comfortable silence for the rest of their short walk to the tower, giving Evie time to squash down her feelings of fear. She'd handled more than the avengers in her time, she could do this. Just get in there, put on a smile, shake hands. Easy. The tower came into view as they rounded the corner.

"Ready? It'll be fine, Evie. They'll love you." Steve turned to her as they neared the front doors of the building, taking both of her hands in his. She looked up at him and gathered a small smile.

"Promise me something, Steve." She spoke softly, almost afraid of her own coming words. He furrowed his brow.

"Anything, Evie." He was holding her hands tighter now. She took a deep breath.

"Promise me that this won't affect us, that if they don't like me or something goes wrong, you'll still want to see me. I know they're your family but…I like you so much, Steve, and it's crazy to say this but I can't imagine my life without you in it…" About halfway through she'd broken eye contact with him, favouring to look at the ground. Steve took a moment before responding.

"Evie…I'm crazy about you. Can't you see that? I've known you long enough now to know that I need you around, no matter what anyone says, okay? Please listen to me. I'm not going anywhere, I promise." He spoke with such conviction that Evie felt she could do nothing else _but_ believe him. She felt like a prize idiot. Freaking out over nothing. She really didn't deserve him.

"I'm sorry, Steve, that was so stupid of me I jus-" He cut her off with a firm kiss, an action he found to be his favourite to get her to shut up. Grasping her around her waist, he pulled her close to his body. They broke apart and he cleared his throat, brandishing a soft smile.

"No more talking, okay? It's fine. We'll get through this together, you and me. Let's head inside." Taking her hand firmly, he led her through the double doors and into the expansive lobby of the Avengers Tower. On they went through security, not before being stopped by a man with greying curly hair.

"Uh, Cap, who's this?" He seemed a very paranoid individual, eyeing Evie up and down like she was attempting to smuggle drugs across the Mexican border. She'd be lying if she said his intense gaze wasn't making her sweat a little. The tablet he held was clutched tightly.

"Happy, this is Evie. Evie, this is head of security here at the tower, Happy Hogan. She's with me, we're going up to see the team." Happy seemed to take his job very seriously. She didn't blame him really. He was protecting _the avengers_ after all.

"Nice to meet you Miss." He nodded in her direction, then turned his gaze back to Steve. "She'll need a badge. All visitors to the tower must wear one." He turned and busied himself with sorting one out for her. Steve just shot her an exasperated look. Surely the fact that she was with Captain America nullified the need for a security badge. She posed absolutely no threat, in fact she'd even say that Steve could take her down in less than five seconds if the need arose. Still, she wasn't about to make an issue at the first hurdle, and Happy was only doing his job. He turned back and passed her a clip-on badge.

"Here you go, Miss. You must be wearing that at all times, no exceptions. Do you understand?" She nodded fervently, desperately trying not to piss him off. He didn't seem in the brightest of moods to begin with. With that, the pair passed through the metal detectors and took a left to the elevator. Evie didn't breathe until she could no longer feel Happy's eyes on her back.

"He's intense, right?" Evie let out a breathy, relieved laugh at Steve's words. She was going to need a stiff drink at the end of the night. The elevator reached the ground and the pair stepped into the glass structure, Evie aghast at its high-tech appearance. She could teach Steve how to use a phone, but she hoped to god he knew how to use this thing because she didn't have a hope in hell.

"Jarvis, take us to the common room please." At first Evie was confused as to who Steve was talking to, but not a moment later a deep voice sounded in the enclosed space.

"As you wish, Captain Rogers." Evie jumped about a foot in the air. Steve threw his head back and laughed loudly. She leaned forward and smacked him on the arm lightly.

"Stop laughing you jerk." By the end of the sentence Evie was dissolving into giggles herself. Steve pulled her close and smoothed back her hair, still letting the occasional chuckle rumble through him.

"That would be Jarvis, Tony's personal…uh...well I'm not totally sure what Jarvis is but he's a voice in the ceiling that controls almost everything in this place. If you get lost or need anything just ask him." Evie nodded in understanding. She had possibly underestimated how many floors this tower had, given the fact they were still travelling upwards to their destination. She leaned up on her toes to press a soft kiss on Steve's mouth, which he received with a deep sigh. As he moved to deepen the kiss, the elevator doors slid open. There stood the avengers, all with varying looks of surprise and amusement. Steve cleared his throat and, with his hand on Evie's back, guided her into the open room. She glanced around briefly, desperately trying not to catch the eyes of the intimidating heroes in front of her that had just seen Steve and herself lip-locked. The room was wide and without partitions between the seating area and the long bar. Evie was brought back down to earth when Natasha stepped forward, embracing her lightly to whisper in her ear.

"Relax, they won't bite. You look as tense as a bowstring." Natasha pulled back and spoke audibly this time. "It's good to see you again, Evie." Stepping back to her original spot, Natasha allowed a tanned man with short brown hair to take her place. He extended his hand in her direction.

"Clint Barton. Its nice to finally meet you. Steve's not shut up about you for the last month." Evie blushed a deep scarlet. She shook his hand firmly, noting how calloused it was.

"All good things I hope. Hawkeye, right?" That seemed to take him by surprise somewhat. He nodded, smiling slightly.

"That's right." He let go of her hand and stepped back, picking up his beer. From the body language presented by the pair, Evie could tell the assassins were close. Not necessarily romantic, but close.

"I guess I'll take it from here," Steve began gesturing at the remaining men in the room, "Evie, this is Thor." Before Steve could finish, Thor took two big strides and looked down upon the small woman. Evie gulped. He was huge. An equally huge smile broke free on Thor's face. He leaned down and took her hand, pressing a brief and polite kiss to her knuckles.

"Such a pleasure to meet you, Miss Evie. Steve told us of your beauty, but it would seem no amount of words would do you justice." Evie's just fading blush deepened to what she was sure was a new colour of red. She took a moment before replying to Thor, taking care not to squeak and embarrass herself.

"Thank you, Thor. You're really too kind." He smiled once more and released her hand. Steve took that as his cue to continue

"Okay, so this is Dr. Banner." Evie lifted eyes to gaze upon the shy looking man. He was fidgeting with his sleeves, clearly a tad apprehensive at her presence. Nevertheless, he stuck his hand out for her to shake and she took it softly, hoping to convey to him that she was not a threat.

"Uhh…hi, I'm Banner-uh-Bruce. Bruce Banner." If she thought Steve was endearing, my god, Bruce took it to a whole other level. He was barely making eye contact and shook her hand with a gentleness that shocked her. The man behind The Hulk was certainly someone she felt she could get along with, given time.

"Such an honour to meet you, Bruce. I've read some of your papers on anti-electron collisions, your work is unparalleled." She was desperate to put the man at ease, and it did seem to be working. At the mention of his work he softened from his previously stiff form and his face lit up.

"Thank you. I'm currently working on some things here at the tower, if you were interested I could show you some of my lab work sometime." Practically vibrating, Evie nodded. The way to get this scientist to open up was apparently to shift the topic to science. Duly noted.

"I'd love that, Bruce. While I have a degree in law a part of me always wished I'd pursued science." Bruce nodded and looked contemplative at her statement, giving Steve time to jump in to introduce her to the final avenger. Evie had avoided looking at him until now. Her heart felt as if it was in her throat as she moved her eyes from Bruce and over to Tony Stark. He had been looking at her for quite some time. Evie could feel his stare from the moment she walked in the room. He was perched on a stool at the bar, scotch in hand, schooled expression laid out across his face. Evie thought that she was pretty good at reading people when the situation called for it, but Tony Stark was a closed book. She'd have better luck interpreting the inner feelings of a brick wall. Finally, after several moments of silence, the billionaire rose and moved to join the standing group that had coalesced in the seating area of the large room.

"Evie, if you couldn't guess, this is Tony Stark." Evie wasn't looking at him, but she could hear the smile in Steve's voice. Okay, don't mess this up.

"Mr Stark, it's a pleasure to meet you, really. Your tower is beautiful, I don't think I've ever seen something quite like it. Thank you for inviting me over." She attempted to keep the trembling out of her voice. It felt like she was in trouble with the principal and was in his office to make amends. Tony reached up and patted Evie on the side of her arm, possibly sensing her discomfort and anxiety.

"Pleasure's all mine, Miss Graham," He smiled briefly and gestured around himself, "You like it? It's self-sustaining. Pretty much the only clean energy building in the world. You want a drink or something?" He was shockingly nice. Not that Evie thought he would be horrible but, well, she really didn't know what to expect. Although, Steve didn't mention he'd told them her last name. She stuttered for a second, then replied.

"I'll have what you're having, Mr Stark. If that's okay." Where on earth was this shyness coming from? She quickly realised she was gripping her purse strap very hard and released it, willing away the tension that plagued her body. Tony nodded and smirked before moving to the bar and pouring out a fifth of what Evie assumed to be whiskey that cost more than her rent. As he returned to the seating area, he gestured for everyone to sit down.

"So Eve, tell us, how did yourself and our handsome captain come to meet one another. Please spare no details." He crossed one leg over the other and looked at the pair curiously through his tinted shades. She hesitated.

"You can call me Evie, Mr Stark." Her mother called her Eve more so than anything else. To hear it out of the mouth of someone other than her after all this time made her feel peculiar down to her bones.

"Eve is better, more…biblical. But speaking of, it's just Tony." She sighed lightly and took that as him letting her know that was what he would call her. Who was she to argue with Tony Stark. She glanced to her left and made eye contact with Steve. Somehow, he immediately made her feel better. He smiled down at her and encouraged her to tell the story of how they met, seeing as they had probably heard it from him already.

A couple of hours had passed, and the mingling was going surprisingly well. Evie had been asking Thor about Asgard for about half that time. Steve wouldn't say so but at points during the afternoon, he'd been close to tears. Having his girl and his family in the same room, not just getting along but actively becoming friends made him happier than he could verbally express. The afternoon was declining into evening and the drinks were starting to take their effects on those susceptible to alcohol. So, all but Steve and Thor. Evie felt enough in her system to make her feel warm all over. Herself and Natasha had excused themselves to go the bathroom. Steve saw this as his opportunity to suss out what everyone's opinions were, especially Tony's. He'd been uncharacteristically non-hyperverbal for most of the day.

"So guys, what do you think of her? You like her?" Steve sat with his elbows on his knees, looking eagerly around the four men, trying desperately not to grin like the Cheshire cat. Bruce spoke first.

"I think she's great, Steve. She's smart, funny. She gets along with Nat which is odd but definitely not a bad thing. I think she's good for you." Bruce often came out with the most earnest and kind things. Steve nodded, not trusting his voice. It was Thor's turn next.

"She's wonderful! It's not like I get genuine interest from any of you mortals about Asgard, so speaking to her was nice. She reminds me of my mother. Not in a weird way. You know what I mean. She's sweet." Thor filled the hole he was digging for himself with a long swig of his drink. Steve turned to Clint, hoping for a quick change of the subject.

"Listen man, in this business it's hard to find those good people that like you for you and not for the uniform you wear. From what Nat told me and from what I've seen, Evie's your person. She fits in just about right around these parts, so try to keep her around will ya?" A chuckled rumbled through the group of men. Steve couldn't believe they liked her as much as they did. Well, he could. She was fantastic and everything he didn't know he was missing in his new life. Still, he felt a gnawing in his gut, dreading what Tony had to say. Before he could ask, the ladies returned to the room moving ever so slightly in a diagonal line, both reasonably intoxicated. As they made their way over to the long couches, Tony stood.

"How about some 1959 Dom Perignon to see the evening out?" With a host of agreements coming from the small group, Tony gestured to Steve. "Wanna help me out, Spangles?" Steve rolled his eyes affectionately at the nickname but followed Tony. Once the pair reached the bar Tony turned to pull out the champagne and seven tall glasses, actively avoiding Steve's persistent gaze.

"Tony." Steve hoped that speaking to him would get his attention. Something was wrong with the billionaire, he just couldn't figure out what. "Has something happened with Pepper? Is that why she's not-" Tony cut Steve off before he could even finish his sentence.

"Its Eve. Evelyn." Still, he refused to meet the soldier's eye. Confused. Steve was very confused. He thought that day couldn't have gone better, the other guys seemed to agree. So what was going on?

"What about her, Tony? What's wrong?" He would be lying if he said he wasn't concerned. Tony took a deep breath and finally raised his eyes to look at Steve. A sharp inbreathe couldn't help but shoot through the captain. He couldn't recall a time where Tony had looked so…off.

"Nat complied a file. Basic information, nothing exciting. But, you know me. I had Jarvis do some extra digging." Tony had an intense expression on his face, making sure to keep his voice low. "Steve, her father is Stan Graham." Steve shifted where he stood.

"Am I supposed to know who that is?" Honestly, he just wanted Tony to get to the point. If something was wrong with his Evie he needed to know.

"Stan worked with my father in the seventies and eighties on numerous weapons projects. He was a prestigious member of SHIELD, but until last week I'd never heard of him." Steve furrowed his brow.

"She told me he was army." He muttered to himself. The most unpleasant feeling of mistrust crept into his bones. Surely Evie wouldn't keep things like this from him?

"She's either lying to you or she doesn't know. When Evelyn was twelve he disappeared, right? Plane goes down over the Atlantic. No bodies, no wreck and weirdly enough no trace of the decades of research he did with dear old dad. Wanna hear the kicker? The plane was carrying tech that SHIELD and my father developed from old Hydra stuff. We're talking tesseract harnessing tech. Something doesn't sit right. I don't trust it, Steve. I know you like her, but I don't trust her either." Tony had both hands pressed against the smooth marble surface, awaiting a reply from the shell shocked captain. Steve swallowed, trying to piece together the information Tony had just given him. So, Evie's father disappears with old hydra tech and somehow all of Howard's and this man's research they did over twenty years disappears too? Tony was right, it was suspicious. He glanced over his shoulder at the woman he had spent the better part of almost two months getting to know and wondered if he really knew her at all. She was laughing with Clint and Nat, her head thrown back. She wouldn't deceive him, would she? He turned back to Tony.

"Why are you telling me this?" Steve seemed to be pleading with the billionaire. A large part of him wished Tony had never uttered a word of what he'd found. All that time he'd spent with Evie, he wondered if there were any more lies. Tony shrugged.

"If it were me, I'd want to know. Listen, Steve. Just proceed with caution. We don't know her and, quite frankly, neither do you." Steve was pretty sure all he knew for a hundred percent certainty about Evie was that she made him irrevocably happy, but was it enough? Evie's voice sounded from behind the brooding pair.

"What's taking so long, Steve?" That was enough to snap him out of his daze. He shot one last glance at Tony, who was looking at him with sincere trepidation in his eyes. The two men carried the champagne and the glasses back over to the rest of the intoxicated group. Tony popped the cork on the bottle and Evie squealed as it fizzed, making Steve's heart pound. He really hoped Tony's feeling was just that. He just couldn't bring himself to believe Evie had ulterior motives. The seven friends all reached for a glass filled with bubbling alcohol. Tony raised his glass in preparation for a toast, a move Steve wasn't expecting. They all followed suit.

"To new relationships." Tony began, looking Steve straight in the eye. "May we discover the deepest truths and the darkest secrets. Drink up everyone."


	5. Chapter 5

Steve's phone buzzed for the fourth time since he'd got back to the tower after dropping Evie off. She wasn't really drunk, just a little merry. He removed the device from his pocket and practically glared at the notifications waiting to be opened. Evie didn't seem to notice that something was up with him on the short walk to her apartment, but Steve hadn't kissed her, instead preferring to get her a glass of water and throw a goodnight over his shoulder as he left rather swiftly. He knew he should've acted normal, and it wasn't as if she was a Nazi in disguise. It had been 2 and a half years since he'd been awoken, 68 since the war had ended for the rest of world. Hearing the word hydra still had that knee-jerk reaction rising in him, even if it was in a mention of history long past. Having Evie associated with that in his mind made him feel cold all over. He glanced back at the phone in his hand. Four text messages from her. All wondering if he was alright, if they were alright. He wasn't. They weren't. He needed answers. As he left the room, the phone abandoned on his nightstand rang, Evie's name popping up on screen. It went unanswered.

"Show me." Tony thought he was alone in the lab, given that it was two in the morning, but evidently he was wrong. Without turning from the task that occupied his fingers, he responded.

"Yeah I don't think that's a good idea, pal." Although he couldn't see Steve's face he could practically feel the protest swell in him. He wasn't trying to be cruel, but he'd told Steve the relevant details. Reading the rest would just be torturing himself.

"Tony, show me what Jarvis found." Steve stormed forward to the desk Tony was hunched over, pulling his arms free of whatever he was tinkering with. "You don't get to give me breadcrumbs of information and expect me to be satisfied. This is Evie, she means a lot to me. I need to know it all. Please." The billionaire sighed and turned to face him finally. Steve looked exhausted. He knew he couldn't keep the captain in the dark about everything, not that there was much left to tell.

"Alright, Cap. If I show you will you actually go to bed. You look like hell." Tony rose from the bench and headed over to the computer terminal in the highly sophisticated lab. Steve wondered why any computer needed four screens, that just seemed excessive. He followed Tony with tentative steps. The lab made him feel ever so slightly uncomfortable. All the shiny surfaces and screens and tech laying around made Steve feel nervous to even breathe in the wrong direction. He could hear Tony tapping away on the keyboard embedded into the surface of the desk. Although at this present moment thinking of Evie made him feel ill, he did have her to thank for making him a little less tech illiterate. A few moments later a whole host off information popped up on all the screens.

"Down the rabbit hole you go, Alice. There isn't much left that I haven't told you. Any questions, don't ask." Tony stood and returned to his previous spot by his desk. Steve couldn't even guess what he did down here all hours of the night but he sure felt sorry for Pepper. It must be a lonely business being the partner of an avenger. He took the chair Tony had previously occupied and cast his eyes upon the first monitor to his left. Where to start. He clicked through a few news articles first.

_Military plane crashes over Atlantic, 7 casualties reported, _one read.

_Foul play ruled out over military plane crash that killed 7, _read another.

Evie hadn't opened up about her past, really. He knew both of her parents had passed away and that her brothers lived in Connecticut still. She'd explained that her father was military but nothing more. Did she know he'd been part of SHIELD? Speaking of, he next came across photocopies of Stan Graham's ID card. God, Evie looked like him. Steve swallowed hard. The man was slim, from what he could see. Slightly balding with dark hair and light eyes. From the stern scowl and intense gaze, it wasn't difficult to imagine what kind of man he was. Steve carried on clicking through the information, quickly trying to rid himself of the image of Evie's father. More photographs popped up on the monitor. Varying pieces of plane debris next to a measuring tape, mostly. He kept clicking. A larger photograph came forward and he breathed a long sigh. Howard Stark and Stan Graham stood in front of a large piece of machinery, smiling together. They looked proud. Tony's voice sounded from behind Steve and he damn near shot out of the chair and on to the floor.

"You have no idea the depths Jarvis had to go to find that one picture, not even sure Fury knows it exists. I have Dad's old research about arc reactors and flying cars," At that, the corner of Steve's mouth raised in a smirk. Tony continued "I have his whole career in notes. This Mr. Graham is a ghost." Steve's ever present frown deepened. Tony was right. Back in the forties, he'd known Howard personally. He was nothing short of excellent. To work with him you had to bring excellence. There was no way Evie's father worked side by side with the genius and didn't bring anything to the table himself.

"Okay, so we know he was Army, right?" Tony nodded an affirmative, "and he left the army at some point when Evie was young?" Again, another nod from the billionaire. "He must've come to work for SHIELD as an engineer or something." Hesitation was clear on Tony's face.

"I don't know, Steve. Army man for twenty years, he leaves, joins a government agency and works with Howard Stark. You don't do all of that without something under your belt. If you keep going you'll see records of Stan Grahams young life, and guess what? Straight A's in school, master's degree in cellular and functional biology. Odd, huh?" Tony now had his arms crossed, leaning against the bench where the computer sat. Steve couldn't help but agree with his question. Why work for a master's degree and then spend 20 years in the army? The more information he was getting, the further away the truth seemed. He huffed another deep sigh and persisted.

"So what does that mean, Tony? Who is Stan Graham?" Finally looking Tony in the eye, Steve couldn't help but let a small shudder pass through him. The man looked haunted, a look world's away from his usual suave and confident exterior.

"I have a theory, a work in progress let's call it. Mr Graham was recruited more than once. Into the army and then into SHIELD. I couldn't find anything on his army career. For all we know, he could've been science branched. He spends a lot of time away from home, away from his kids and his wife. Get's sick of it. A nice man like Coulson comes up to him and asks him if he wants something more, the same way we were all asked when the time came, and Mr Graham jumps at it. To work with Dad he must've been good. Real good. So what if he's the best? Cellular biology wasn't really Dad's gig after you, so he must've needed him for something else. Knowing what they researched could be key to figuring this all out." At the end of his ramble, Tony slumped. That was as far as the theory went. Steve sat back in the chair.

"So how do we find out what they researched?" All this detective work was giving Steve a headache, and he hadn't even done any of the digging. He could tell this meant as much to Tony as it did to him. This was a large part of Howard's career erased, and the mystery was why. They both desired the truth. Tony met Steve's eyes once more and pointed towards the screen, where a new picture of Evie and what appeared to be her brothers sat.

"We ask."

The following morning, Steve awoke from a fitful rest. He'd been reluctant to even attempt sleep in the first place. Having hydra on his mind tended to bring forth memories from the time he didn't belong in anymore, memories of his best friend falling to his death, of the date he missed, of the people he'd lost. Malicious nightmares plagued him throughout what was left of the night after his discussion with Tony, nightmares he hadn't had since he'd met Evie. It felt truly odd for her to be at the root of his anguish. This needed to end, today. He pulled on a simple outfit and glanced over at his desk. There sat the folder containing all Tony found on the Grahams, and he was going to give it to Evie and demand she tell him the truth. Well, that was the plan anyway. Steve hadn't spoken to Evie or replied to her many messages. She probably wouldn't even let him past the front door of the building. But, he had to try. For everyone's sake.

The walk down Evie's street felt a million miles long, with every step feeling like he was wearing lead-lined boots. Her cosy brown brick building almost soothed him a bit. He'd spent so much time there with her over the weeks they'd gotten to know one another that now he had a warm sense of familiarity when he saw it. The three wide steps up to the door were taken in one stride and he pressed a finger to the buzzer, praying to god she would answer. A few moments passed and he rang it again. A frustrated voice sounded through the crackly line.

"Yes, hello?" His heart thumped. He still had strong feelings for her, and hearing her voice reminded him of the many reasons why he liked her so much. He swallowed, hoping to ease his dry mouth.

"Uhh, Evie? It's me, it's Steve." Silence. The line crackled once more and then cut dead. So she didn't want to talk to him. Defeated, Steve pondered his options. Suddenly, the door to the building swung open. He turned, hoping he would see Evie. Instead, a busy looking mother with three children in tow flew out, clearly in a hurry. Steve moved to open the door wider for her, allowing her to push the stroller through. She smiled, frazzled, and mouthed a thanks, quickly trying to usher her brood down the street. Steve was about to release the door but stopped. He had to speak to Evie. Today. Now. He'd come this far. He glanced left and right down the street. Evie's neighbours knew him at this point, it wasn't as if he was a stranger breaking in. Just a man, making use of an open door. He crossed the threshold of the small building and jogged up the flight of stairs to apartment seven. Once in front of her door, he was filled with apprehension. Did he really want to pull on this thread? If he wasn't careful, he could lose Evie. He wasn't sure he could bare it, not after being on his own for such a long time before. Raising a slightly shaking hand, he made a fist and knocked on the wood. Silence met him once more, but it wasn't long until he heard shuffling on the other side. He imagined she looked through the small peephole in the door. He could've sworn he heard a small sigh before the door swung open, revealing an annoyed and upset looking Evelyn Graham. He tried to put on a smile, but it probably looked more a grimace.

"…Hi?" Steve tried to keep the folder out of view. He didn't want it brought up until absolutely necessary. Thankfully, she didn't seem to notice anything, as she was too preoccupied looking rather angry with him. It scared him even more when she spoke calmly.

"You drop me off after a nice night, don't even bother to say goodnight," Steve opened his mouth to interject that he had actually said goodnight but was cut off with a raised hand. "Don't. You. Dare. Let me finish. You ignore all my texts and calls, turn up at my door, after I spent the night worrying sick about what I'd done to upset you or your friends, and all you can say is hi? Are you kidding me, Steve Rogers? Are you actually kidding me?" The more she spoke, the more red flush crawled up her neck. If Steve had to guess, she'd passed upset and was in the pissed off stage. Just a guess. He hesitated.

"So, uh, I can explain. I know that sounds a bit cliche, but I can explain everything. Right now, though, it's really important that you let me in. I have to talk to you about something." Before he could take a breath she spoke again.

"Oh I've heard that one before. There is no explanation for what you did, you don't get to treat me like I don't mat…wait. What are you talking about? You didn't come to apologize but to talk about something 'important' is that what you're saying?" Her frustration was beginning to make him feel frustrated. He took a deep breath and started again, this time being more direct, hoping to get her attention.

"Okay, stop. You need to listen to me, Evie. Something has come up, something that I can't ignore. I need to talk to you, about this." He figured now was a good a time as any to brandish the folder. He didn't want to be yelled at more. She glanced at the brown folder in his hands and frowned.

"What's that?" She looked a small bit afraid. He sighed and spoke again.

"It's what we need to talk about. Can I please come inside?" Steve was pleading with her. He really didn't want to stand here and have an altercation in the hallway. She nodded, slightly, not looking at him and stepped aside. The apartment was the same as it had been since Steve was there last. Smell of coffee in the air, TV on low, Possum stretched out on the couch. He could've cried. Instead, he cleared his throat and sat at the small dining table she had, laying the dreaded folder flat and placing his hands on either side of it. She quickly shut the door and joined him.

"Steve, what's this all about? Can you talk to me please I'm going to go crazy." He looked up at her then. She looked so small sat opposite him, so afraid. It took all he had in him not to reach over the table and clasp her hand in his. He opened the file.

"Last night when Tony and I were getting the champagne, he told me something. At first I was a little confused about what he said but now I see it a lot clearer. Your father, Evie, tell me about him. Be honest." He was looking in her eyes now. She felt the lump in her throat sink to her chest. She took a steadying breath, a bit taken aback at Steve's request. Confused, she spoke.

"He was in the army for 21 years. He missed a lot of stuff when I was growing up, he was away from home most of the time. One day he came home and told us that he was changing his job and then the next week he was in a suit going to work for the government. He was a science guy, so we assumed it was research or something like that. We didn't ask and he didn't tell. He was flying to Sokovia for some business thing, again, I don't know any specifics. Plane went down over the Atlantic and that was it. My Mom was left everything of his, but she never let us near his things. Kept them locked away in a basement. When she passed, she gave it all to my Grandmother, my Dad's Mom. When my Grandmother died a few months ago, she left it all to me. I have the few boxes in a closet. There, are you happy? My tragic little life on a sliver platter." She had crossed her arms now, less afraid and back to frustration. Steve was trying to process everything.

"So what's in the boxes?" He was so close to finding out what he wanted to know that he could almost taste it.

"No. My turn to ask a question. Why the sudden interest in my family, or more specifically, my Dad? I was twelve when he died, it's not like I remember much." This was the part Steve had been dreading. He had to tread carefully. Maybe it was best to just be outright with it.

"Your father didn't work for the government. He worked for SHIELD. He was a friend and co-worker to Howard Stark, and they spent the better part of a decade on research that doesn't exist. The plane your father was on was carrying technology that was derived from machines that Hydra built. I want to know why." Steve sat back in the wooden chair. Evie hadn't looked up from her lap, where she was fiddling with her bracelet. How he wished this conversation wasn't happening. She final stopped fidgeting and wrapped her arms around herself, feeling exposed by the way Steve peered at her. Many moments passed and she still hadn't spoken. To perhaps get something out of her, he pulled out some of the photographs and newspaper clippings. She winced when she saw the photo of Howard and Stan. Moving those aside, she came across a copy of his master's certificate and hesitated. This time her breath was shaking.

"He was a smart man, my father. Gifted, some would say. He was very good at what he did." She still refused to look at him. Steve's face hardened.

"You know, don't you? You know what they did." It was less of a question and more of a statement, one that he really wished he was wrong about. It was after the sentence left his mouth that her eyes finally met his. They were glistening with unshed tears.

"Yes. SHIELD got word that the Soviets were trying to replicate what the US government gave you. It was right in the middle of the Cold War. They couldn't let the enemy make an army of soldiers like you, so they decided to make one first. Howard knew my father was the best in his field. So they recruited him straight out of the army and brought him in to see if he could unlock the secrets they never could. The plane was carrying the chambers that would produce the soldiers. They thought the tesseract would be the key." Silent tears streaked down her cheeks. Steve felt like he'd been punched in the gut. Reviving project Rebirth? Howard? It didn't make sense. It didn't make sense at all. Why did she lie?

"Wha-…wh…I…I don't understand.." The truth was there, in front of him. And yet, he could make no sense of it. Of all the thing she could've said.

"Steve, please, you have to understand. I didn't know this happened until I got his old files from my grandmother and even then I didn't know what it really meant." She reached out to take his hand and he sharply pulled them off the table, making her cry harder. He couldn't even look at her. She'd known when she met him that her father had been a part of a top secret project to make more super soldiers? After everything that Peggy did to stop it? He looked up, thick tears in his eyes, and spoke softly.

"So why did you lie to me just now?" She sniffed loudly, trying to get her tears under control.

"Steve, I…I've spent my whole life trying to get away from him and his lies and everything he did. For the longest time I tried to make a different life for myself and then you show up and change it all back. I didn't imagine in a thousand years I would fall in love with a man my father died trying to recreate. You have to believe that I never meant to hurt you." Evie couldn't imagine she'd ever felt guilt like it in her life. That sick feeling that convinces you how much of a terrible person you are. Steve looked as heartbroken as she felt.

"No. No, no, no. You don't get to say that and expect me to roll over, Evelyn. You lied to my face multiple times. Is any of our relationship even real?" He ran his hands through his hair, tugging at the roots. Evie sobbed softly.

"Of course it is, Steve. You're everything to me. I love you." She moved out of her seat and tried to take hold of his forearms. Steve shook her off harshly and stood, moving backwards to put distance between them. He wasn't totally sure he wouldn't be sick.

"You don't lie to people you love, Evelyn." He was looking at her with wet anger. Tears streamed from his red tinged eyes, but he didn't move to wipe them away. Instead, he stared her down with disappointment and hurt like she'd never seen from him before.

"Please don't call me that, Steve. I'm Evie, your Evie." Desperation was pouring from her. She didn't know what to do, truly. The man she loved was slipping through her fingers before her very eyes and there wasn't a thing she could do to stop it.

"I don't know who you are anymore. The Evie I met at the coffee shop was the girl I'd been dreaming of finding. I loved everything about you. How can I believe we met by chance? How can I trust you when your father spent his life trying to make more soldiers while I was trapped in that ice? How can you stand there and expect me to forgive you for lying to me for the whole time I've known you? I had to find the truth out from Tony, for god's sake." Since they'd met, Steve had never once raised his voice at her. Until now. The pain in Evie's chest felt like it would suffocate her.

"Please don't do this, Steve, please! What do you want? Do you want the file?" She raced into the hallway and ripped the closet door open, tugging out old boxes worn with time. Fishing out a crumpled, thick file she pressed it against his chest and looked up into his eyes. "Take it, I don't want it. None of it means anything. You're all that matters to me, can't you see that?" The folder was pressed even harder against his chest and he took it with a reluctant movement. Without looking at it he tossed it on top of his file that still laid open on her table.

"I don't want anything from you." He'd never looked so distant in the time she'd known him. She sobbed audibly, falling backwards and sitting back in the chair she previously occupied. How could he be so cold? After everything that they'd overcome to get to this point? After every tender moment and sweet embrace.

"Steve…please…" Evie pleaded for the final time. Her tears had dried, being replaced by a feeling of utter despair.

"Goodbye, Evelyn." He bent to collect the files off the table and strode towards the front door. Evie didn't have the strength to stop him. Out he walked with what was left of her fathers' life, and what was left of her heart.


	6. Chapter 6

There was a small damp patch in the back left-hand corner of the room, only a slight one. That, and a small crack in the paint just above the door that had probably been caused by someone slamming the door too hard. Just like Steve had done to her front door all those days ago. Evie had been laying in her bed with the sheets held underneath her chin for just shy of thirteen hours. That was, if you included the six hours of broken rest she got throughout what was left of the night after four glasses of red wine and a Joni Mitchell CD. She had decided in the hours she'd laid there since she'd awoken, that the ceiling could do with a repaint. She would find the time to do that just as soon as she found the time to do her laundry or wash her piling dishes. In truth, the last few weeks had been a blur. Since that night with Steve, she'd just been getting by. After receiving no reply to a few texts and calls, she got the feeling he really didn't want to see or talk to her and she couldn't blame him at all. Even if he did, she wouldn't know what to say. All she knew about her father was what she'd learned in the pages of the file she'd handed Steve. It took several google sessions to piece it together and seeing as those pages contained the only surviving copy of the information, it was definitely a challenge. But this was all before she met him. She didn't know that Steve the shy muscle from the coffee shop was Steve Captain Man from all the way back in the forties. Of course, after New York, she knew Captain America had returned in some capacity, but she thought it to be more of a new incarnation rather than the actual living breathing super soldier. He made it sound like she'd planned the whole thing, reeled him in for some secret ulterior motive of hers. Should she have told him the truth? Well, probably. But how on earth does one go and drop a bomb like that on your new guy? Hey there, pretty boy, I really like you let me meet your Avenger friends but also my dad disappeared with Hydra tech and co-founded a secret project to make more of you. Yeah, that would've gone over well. She felt like she was spinning in circles. Round and round this had gone for hours. Blaming herself, feeling guilty, feeling like Steve had been harsh, back to guilty. It was insane. To top it all off, Possum had been pretty much ignoring her. Oh god, how pathetic she was.

A shrill ringing phone awoke Evie once more. She must've drifted back off during her hungover mind-rambling. A quick glance over her shoulder at the open window confirmed it was still daylight, probably around noon. So, she was day napping now. That was a new low. Wait, the phone was ringing. Her heart lept into her throat at the thought that it could be Steve calling her. She couldn't decide if she wanted it to be him or not. Was he still angry with her? Most likely. In her post-nap haze, she answered the call and pressed it to her ear without looking to see who was actually calling.

"Steve? Steve, is that you?" She breathed into the phone, hoping to have his soft, warm voice answer her raspy words.

"Who's Steve? It's Maria, sweetie. Is everything okay?" Evie huffed a sigh of disappointment and somewhat relief. She knew Steve wouldn't want to speak to her. She rubbed her eyes to relieve the sting of tears she felt there. She didn't get to feel sorry for herself after everything that happened.

"Oh, uh, hi Maria. It's been a while, I just thought you were someone else there. How are things?" Evie was trying her best to come off upbeat. She wasn't sure it was working. By the sounds of it, Maria was walking somewhere. She could hear the wind and honking cars. Typical Manhattan. She hadn't heard from Maria in a month or so, but even before that they were never the type of friends to live in each other's pockets. She'd relied on Maria a lot when they both worked for Nelson and Murdock. Being a lawyer wasn't easy, and she became a bit of a rock for Evie during her stint there. Last she'd heard from Maria she still worked there and was planning her wedding.

"Yeah things are great! Duane and I tie the knot in three weeks, so I've been crazy planning everything and we just got this little rescue pooch, her names Jasmine and she's just a darling you'd love her." Maria took a small breath before continuing her fast babbling. If Evie was being honest with herself, she'd missed Maria's sharp Bronx accent. "Definitely hasn't been an easy time though. Duane's Mom was really sick a few months back and it was touch and go for a while, but she pulled through, bless her heart. And his father, well don't even get me star-…what's wrong, honey?" Evie hadn't really noticed when it happened, but somewhere in the last few moments she'd started to cry. Maria made a soft sympathetic sigh on the other end of the phone, which made Evie's cries more audible.

"Oh Maria, I've made such a mess of things, I really have. I don't know what to do." She sounded quite pathetic. It wasn't her intention at all to fall apart once she heard a friend's voice, but the last time she'd held a proper conversation with someone who wasn't angry with her was weeks ago. What she really wanted was her Mom. She'd know just what to do.

"Is it this Steve guy? What's he done, sweetie, I swear to God above…" Evie could practically hear Maria gritting her teeth. She'd always been very protective of Evie, thinking of her like a little sister.

"Really it wasn't him. He's amazing and wonderful and everything I've ever wanted. I went and messed it all up. I ruined it and he won't ever speak to me ever again." She felt as if she was back in high school again, crying to her friends over boys. Maria had comforted Evie many times over men who weren't right for her but this time it was different. Steve was so right for her, but she turned out to be the bad guy.

"Oh my darling. Listen okay, I'm coming over right now. I got the day off to do wedding stuff and I'm way ahead of schedule so get some coffee on. I'll be with you in five minutes, honey." Evie spoke an affirmative and sniffed pitifully, ending the call. At least she had a reason to get out of bed now.

Maria was right on time. Within five minutes, the apartment buzzer sounded harshly three times. She always rang three times. Evie smiled softly and moved to open the door for her friend. Before she knew it, she was enveloped in a whirl of wool coat that smelled like lavender and felt the soft brush of dark curly hair on her cheek. She hadn't realised how much she'd truly missed Maria in the last few months. She'd been busy planning her wedding and Evie had been wrapped up in Steve. She could go years without seeing Maria and would still get welcomed with open arms. Maria pulled back and held Evie by the shoulders, looking into her red rimmed eyes.

"Honey, tell me everything." Maria said gently. Evie led them to her small dining table where two steaming mugs of black coffee sat. She proceeded to tell her everything, even the part about Steve being an avenger. She trusted Maria absolutely. The whole time, Evie barely looked up. She stared into the dark liquid lapping at the brim of her cup, recalling the feeling of finding a man who made her feel as whole as Steve made her feel. He was safe and warm, kind and funny. She wasn't ashamed to say that she loved him. They'd dated for eight or so weeks and she knew. There wasn't a thing about him she didn't like. He made her feel like home was wherever he was. And he was gone.

"So he just left, and you haven't heard from him?" Maria's cup was empty, and she appeared to be full of questions.

"Yeah, just walked out. He took the file on my dad. I tried to call him; I think I sent a few texts too. Nothing. He doesn't ever want to see me again, of that I'm sure." An aching, emptiness filled Evie's chest. She still couldn't believe how it had all gone down. The whole thing felt like a dream. It was as if Steve had never existed at all, like she'd made him up in her mind. Maria reached out and took her hand.

"I'm not going to lie to you, darling, this really is a mess." At that, Evie huffed a laugh and managed a small smile. "Have you tried going to see him? I'm guessing he lives at the obvious place?"

"He does. Avengers Tower is a fortress, I don't think I'd be able to get within a hundred feet of the place without lasers burning me out of existence. I'm sure Mr. Stark knows everything by now. It was surprising that nobody dropped by to politely kill me." Evie had stood to refill both of their cups with more coffee. Too much talk about Steve and the Avengers made her feel fidgety. She knew something was up with Tony that night. The way he looked at her, it was like she was packaged anthrax waiting to explode onto an unsuspecting victim. To think that he knew, even then. He was right to tell Steve. If it was the other way, she'd want to know. Maria waited for her to be seated again before speaking.

"What about his friend, the spider one? Speak to her. She helped you before." Evie couldn't help but laugh, properly this time.

"You mean Black Widow? Natasha is way too scary to ask for help a second time. I wouldn't even know how to contact her, last time she found me. Honestly, the whole thing feels hopeless. Maybe it's just not meant to be." Defeated, Evie sat back in her chair and rubbed her eyes. She was so tired of moping over the whole situation, and quite frankly, in that moment she'd felt as if she'd been treated very unfairly. It wasn't right that Steve painted her as this nasty, secret keeper while he was an angel that had never hidden anything. Sure, if things had gone a lot further Evie would've told him everything. He kept his avenger status from her for a little while and although he revealed it to her, she was still in the wrong for taking it badly. Unfair indeed. Upset had evolved into pissed. Maria scoffed.

"Evelyn Rose Graham, how many years have I known you? Yeah, way too long. This isn't you. Sure, guys have done you wrong in the past and I've always help you move on from those idiots. But this is different, and you know it. Now, I don't want to hear anymore of this sad attitude. The way I see it, you got two choices. Either march down there, tell him what you're feeling to his face and get this all aired out or forget the stiff and move on with your life. This limbo phase you got going on is really bumming me out." Maria finished by taking a loud sip of her coffee. Evie blinked at her. Was it really that simple? Hearing it out of someone else's mouth made her feel quite dumb, to be honest. Steve had no idea of the internal war she'd been waging over the last few weeks. The fight they had was very heat of the moment and she was way too blind sighted to even get the chance to defend herself. He got to be the righteous one, marching out of her apartment and her life feeling like he knew all the facts. How dare he behave like he'd never made mistakes or hurt someone he cared about. Enough was enough. She had to speak to him. Evie knew trying to contact him remotely was a no-go. So, it was her turn to do the confronting.

Although she'd been to the tower before, standing before its one hundred floors now, she felt as if she was really truly looking at it for the first time. It was late afternoon and the sun was low enough so that the rays peeked through the jungle of skyscrapers to glint off the glass exterior of the impressive building. If she looked high enough, she could see the platform where Iron Man landed when he returned from world-saving or whatever he did in his spare time. Tony Stark. A peculiar man. Perhaps, had the circumstances been different, they'd have been friends. It was probably a bit of a bad idea to turn up on a superhero's doorstep unannounced, demanding to speak to one of said superheroes. Well, she'd come this far.

Evie shuffled up to the plate glass door, pushing it open and passing through into the glossy lobby of the tower. It was surprisingly quiet. The desk Steve had taken her to when she first came here was manned by a different security guard. She didn't even think about that before coming here, but that Happy guy would've, most likely, tackled her to the ground before he let her anywhere near the avengers. She looked at the person occupying the narrow desk. The man seemed bored, not really paying attention to the few occupants of the lobby but rather to his phone that was poorly concealed in his lap. Evie wondered what Happy would say. If she remembered correctly, and this was going to be a gamble, that guard was on duty the day she came in with Steve. Okay, she knew just how to play this. Walking up to the desk, she plastered on her best winning smile.

"Hey! I was just about to head up and see my boyfriend, but I left my key card at home by mistake. I don't suppose you remember me, do you? I was here with Mr Rogers, the Captain, a few weeks ago. I came over to surprise him actually. See, yesterday was date night but I was working so I thought I could make it up to him tonight." She could see that the guard's mind was turning, trying to place her face. Come on man, think. Then, his face lit with recognition. Phew.

"I remember that, its Evelyn right? I printed the badge you wore. It's good to see you again, Ma'am." The guard looked around before leaning a little closer. "Listen, if I let you up without your card just this once, will you please not tell anyone that I have my phone with me? My wifes at home with our new baby girl and I just wanted to check in with them." Evie felt extremely guilty for taking advantage now. He was a really sweet guy and she really hoped he wouldn't get in trouble. She nodded and made a motion of locking her lips shut and throwing away the key. Smiling with relief, he passed her a visitor's key and waved her through. Once in the elevator, Evie breathed a deep sigh of relief. The last time she'd snuck around was when she thought an ex was cheating and tried to catch him. He was and she did. A voice sounded in the otherwise empty space, sending Evie into a fright.

"Where would you like to go, Miss?" Jarvis. Yet another part of this risky plan Evie hadn't factored in. She tried to remember how Steve had handled this part. If he could do it, so could she. Hesitantly, she began speaking.

"Um, Jarvis right?" Evie couldn't believe she was talking to an AI. It felt like something out of a movie.

"That is correct, Miss. Where would you like to go?" Jarvis's voice was cool and even, sounding more like a man then a machine. Was he a machine? Steve had never really been clear. Swallowing, she continued.

"I would like to see Mr Rogers, uh, Steve. Please." She cursed at how nervous she sounded. If she was floundering talking to a disembodied voice, how would she handle Steve or any other avenger she ran into. Doubts were creeping in. This was definitely a bad idea.

"The Captain isn't here at present. However, Mr Stark is aware of your presence and has requested to see you immediately." The elevator began to move smoothly upwards and Evie's heart dropped. God, no. This definitely wasn't part of the plan. Shit, shit, shit. What was she going to say? What was he going to say? Would he kill her for her trespasses? Right now, she'd take that over a conversation with him. A soft ding sound announced the rather unfortunate news that she'd arrived at her destination. Evie felt sick to her stomach. This was a spur of the moment decision, after being pumped up by Maria. That invincible feeling was wearing off a tad. The doors opened and she took two tentative steps into an open, modern workshop. Eyes sweeping left to right, she noticed no other person in the room other than the elusive billionaire that summoned her. There he sat, a piece of the Iron Man suit in one hand and a screwdriver in the other, tinkering away. If she hadn't of known better, one could've assumed he wasn't aware of her presence in the room, as he didn't acknowledge her in the slightest. She took two more steps, careful not to trip down the three steps into the expansive space. It was very lived in. Tools old and new were strewn around the floor and scattered on the work surfaces here and there. Grease streaked every part of the room, including its occupant. AC/DC was playing quietly somewhere. Though she didn't know the man, the place screamed Tony. Her moments of pondering were sharply concluded as the piece of armour made hard contact with the countertop, along with the screwdriver. He didn't turn to face her, instead preferring to reach for his glass of amber to take a long, drawn out sip. Evie cleared her throat.

"I'm sorry I came, Mr Stark. I really shouldn't have; it was a mistake. I didn't know Steve wouldn't be here and, to be honest, if he had been I wouldn't have known what to say anyway. I know you know what I told him, and for that I'm sorry too." The pattern on the metal floor was Evie's sole focus in that moment. She wasn't sure if Tony was looking at her or not and she wasn't about to look up and find out. The possibility of her demise still felt real, so it was probably best to tread carefully.

"Why do people insist on calling me 'Mr Stark'? I mean, yes its my name, but what am I, sixty five? Besides, 'Mr Stark' was my father. But you'd know that, wouldn't you Evelyn?" Okay, he was looking at her. She could feel it. Don't panic, Evie. A quick glance up confirmed her suspicion. He had his arms crossed too. Defensive.

"Mr Sta-…Tony, I want you to know that I had every intention of telling him when the time was right. You too. You both deserved to know." Evie spoke with as much sorrow as she could muster. She did truly regret how everything had happened.

"You paint a convincing picture; I'll give you that. Nice, shy, painter type. Pretty, but not too pretty. No offense. Smart, funny. The perfect lure for our Captain. So why? Why do it all? What was in it for you?" He was coming at her from a place Evie could understand. Maria would've given Steve the same treatment had the roles been reversed.

"There was no picture, no lure, no plan, nothing! Why does everyone think I am some criminal mastermind?" She walked closer to Tony, "I want you to understand right now that I never planned a second of my relationship with Steve. Everything we did and everything I felt was real. I didn't even know who he was until he told me, and then I second guessed everything because I wanted to avoid a situation just like this one. You think I wanted to hurt him, to hurt any of you? You don't know me, so where do you get off thinking that some information about our dead fathers is enough to make me the worst person in the world?" That felt good. She hadn't really let it out during the last few weeks, apart from the odd cry session. Her eyes burned and she could feel a flush crawling up her neck. Tony just looked at her, unreadable. She was so fed up of being treated like the bad guy. After a few moments, he finally spoke.

"You know, I wanted to like you. When Steve told me about you, he was unlike I'd ever seen him. We've got our own little thing going here, the avengers, we're all a family. But we could never make him as happy as you did. Believe me, I didn't set out to burn the whole thing down. I was just looking out for my friend. It's not my fight, Eve. I was just doing what I thought was best. I think we can both agree that our intentions were somewhat misguided." He had relaxed a bit, his stance not so stiff. Evie took that as a good sign. Maybe he wouldn't kill her.

"Tony, I came here to put it right. Even if he wants nothing to do with me, I can't let it end like this. I'm guessing he showed you the file I gave him, so you know what I'm up against here. Despite all of it, I love him, and I don't want him to suffer. I want to tell him everything and give him a chance to ask questions. Please, can you just tell me when he'll be back?" She honestly couldn't believe this was how their impromptu meeting had gone. No murder, no shouting. This was how it should've been that night. God, how she wished she could undo it all and tell Steve herself. Evie was determined to figure this out with Steve, one way or another. They were too connected for her to just let what they had die. Tony looked regretful then, an expression that made her confidence rapidly dissipate. He uncrossed his arms finally and looked around uncomfortably.

"Eve, there's something you should know. I'm guessing you haven't spoken since that night?" Evie nodded, not wanting to hear the rest of what Tony had to say. "Well, the week after it happened, Steve got a call. He was relocated to Washington, DC for a special assignment. We don't know when or if he'll be back."


End file.
